Do Women Have Better Immune Function Than Men?

Are women the superior sex? Maybe not from a strength and muscle standpoint, but from a health standpoint the female gender has some advantages. Women, on average, live just over 80 years, while the average man can expect to live just shy of 75 years. That's a 5-year longevity difference! Why might this be? You might argue that women are more likely to eat a healthy diet, get preventative care and avoid high-risk behaviors relative to men - but is there more to it than that? Some evidence suggests that women survive longer because they have a more robust immune system. First Line Defense and Second Line Immune Defenses Humans depend on a healthy immune response for protection against bacteria, parasites and viruses that cause illness and as an extra layer of protection against cancer. Immune function is so important to health that humans have a two-tiered immune system: an innate immune system that acts as a barrier against pathogens and an adaptive immune system that's evolved to attack specific invaders. For example, your skin, the acid pH of your stomach, natural killer cells and "hungry" phagocytes destroy many pathogens before they activate the adaptive immune response. While the innate immune system is first-line defender, it reacts in the same non-specific way for all invaders. The adaptive immune system has "memory." This allows it to recognize a particular protein on a bacteria or virus. When confronted with the same pathogen later, it can launch a specific attack against that invader. An example of the innate immune response is the T-cell and B-cell immune response. Immune Function, Aging and Gender Not surprisingly, immune function, mainly the adaptive component of the immune system, becomes less robust later in life. A Japanese study showed T-cell, or T lymphocyte, activity decreases with age and is more pronounced in men than women. That T-cell activity diminishes with age isn't surprising. T-cells "mature" and become fully functional T-lymphocytes by the activity of a tiny gland located above the heart called the thymus gland. Unfortunately, the thymus gland shrinks with age, which partially explains why T-cell function is weaker later in life. Women seem to have some advantage in that their immune system "ages" more slowly than a man's based on some studies. Some experts have proposed that women live longer than men because their immune system responds better to foreign invaders than a man's. Now thanks to BioPro-Plus™, a bio-identical thymic protein you can replace these proteins and rebuild your immune system. Start feeling better today, click here to get your BioPro-Plus™! Why Do Women Have an Immune System Which Ages More Slowly? Researchers at Stanford University have some insight as to why men have an immune system which ages more rapidly. They found a link between high levels of the male hormone testosterone and a weaker immune reaction. Men with higher levels of testosterone mounted less of an immune response when vaccinated for influenza than men with lower testosterone levels. Women, likely because they have lower levels of testosterone relative to men, had a more robust immune system response to the influenza vaccine. Researchers believe testosterone affects genes involved in regulating the immune response, thereby dampening immune activity. Keep Your Immune System Healthy Should you be worried about your immune system if you're a man? No matter your gender, it's important to optimize your immune health - by eating a nutrient-rich diet, getting moderate amounts of exercise, not smoking or over-consuming alcohol, getting adequate sleep and controlling stress. If you fall short in the nutritional department, immune support supplements might be in order. If you want to build your immune system into an efficient, powerful disease fighting machine, then you must try BioPro-Plus™! This supplement is all natural and is the same bio-identical protein that your body produces until about the age of 40. You can supercharge your immune system to be able to fight any illness or pathogen naturally. Don’t wait another minute, start building your immune system today with BioPro-Plus™! Your immune system plays such a vital role in health. Take care of it! -By Alternative Health Concepts References: Psychology Today. "Why Women Are the Superior Gender" February 2, 2011. Immunity and Aging. (2013): 10:19. Stanford Medicine News Center. "In Men, High Testosterone Can Mean Weakened Immune Response, Study Finds."